A dinner for old friends.

So another post about a dinner…sorry. NOT much going on here.

Every summer there are about ten families that travel to Cape Cod for a week in Provincetown. We stay right on the beach in the harbor. Every family makes one dinner so the burden isn’t on just a few.

We’ve missed a few summers and for the past two summers I haven’t made a main meal. So I had a dinner at my house to say thank you to all my Cape Cod friends for their delicious dinners.

This past Sunday was the evening and there were fourteen of us. At first I was going to have a large table for ten then a smaller table for four. Well, that didn’t feel right so I went for three tables. It looked like a little restaurant. We have a large dining room with an alcove with windows where we keep a daybed…for the dogs to lay on all day so they can view the world go by and bark, bark, bark!

I brought two tables inside that are usually under the pergola. One I trash picked, an iron table that still had the glass top and four chairs. (what a find) I had to scrape off all the flaking paint and clean it up.

Then I brought in seating I bought in France last April that is soooo way cool and I LOVE! They are all cane, backs and seats. I had to vacuum the pieces, spray with alcohol and clean with Murphy’s oil. Much work. So now we’re into day two, 5:30pm. Sigh…I still had to make the food.

You can see the cane settee, arm and side chairs…Fab aren’t they? I bought them to sell but I’m not sure I am or can!!

All the tables are covered with French linen sheets and I use French monogrammed napkins I found at flea markets in France. Some have white embroidery and others have red. They all have a beautiful red border.

After dinner a few of us were in the kitchen when the smoke detector went off. I thought it was from all the candles…it was a napkin on FIRE!! Karen had put it down on the table right over a tea light. Yikes!!

Luckily someone noticed! When I got in there my friend Joan had covered it with another napkin and then I grabbed them and threw them in the sink… This is what was left of that napkin. I only had five of this style, so now I have an even four!

I have more up close pictures I’ll post later.

Enjoy your weekend.

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Traveling France ….l’Objet qui Parle in Montmarte

I haven’t posted on my blog since last summer I think. Not having the store here in Collingswood kind of slowed me down…not kind of…it did.

I saw a picture on Pinterest of a shop up in Montmarte in Paris. The name of the shop was l’ Objet qui Parle and looked so charming. I thought, I’m going to that shop on my next trip which happened to be just back in March. It is such a fabulous store and it’s only about 200 sq ft if that. These are some of the amazing things you will find if you get there!

  

It was such an amazing shop with so much character, and so many fabulous finds.

This was the weekend before I was heading South to the flea market so I didn’t buy much, which was a bummer!!

I did get a few egg cups and a painted piece of mirror.

(all pictures by me)

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Traveling France…French Cooking Class from ‘On Rue Tatin’ author/chef Susan Herrmann

When we were in Paris in April, we took a cooking class from Susan Herrmann, the author of ‘On Rue Tatin’. I saw an article in Traditional Home magazine the week before our trip. There was a big yellow Tian bowl like we sell in our shop in the photo. Well, that hooked me and I called my sister Amy to see if she wanted to go. OF COURSE she wanted to go, and there were two spots left!

Off we went to rue Jacob, behind the church of Saint Germain des Pris, through a small courtyard, two doors, and up the stairs. Walking into the rooms where the class was held were so charming and beautiful and FRENCH! The table was set and the other students were there waiting for us…we were a bit late, couldn’t get a taxi right away.

  

There were eight of us for the evening class. We were paired in two’s to make one course of the meal. Amy wanted to do the entree…pork with yogurt with lemon zest and cilantro oil. You can see us all at work and Susan is the redhead on the far right in the photo.

The little details in the apartment are what made the space so wonderful. They used old glass doors for the built-in, as sliding doors.

We met people from Hawaii, Texas and Washington State. Conversation was great and the food was simply wonderful.

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Paris just around the corner…

A week from today, I head to Paris to meet up with my sister Amy. I was checking out my photos…you know, the ones I uploaded constantly from my blackberry. I was reliving our whole trip, and these are some of the highlights … I was reading  ‘THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE’           ….stayed in an apartment instead of a hotel in the Le Marias, our favorite area of Paris now. The apartment is on the fourth floor with no elevators and fabulous.    …I ate foire grois 5 times because I knew what it was on the menu, and it was prepared differently each time, and every one was delicious!…went to the Paris Maison et Objet where we found THE most fantastic lamp shades and Italian linens…hooked up with our favorite Parisian Cherub Jean-Pierre, he makes me laugh and laugh, and is so full of knowledge of all things French    …ate crepes, well I did, Amy didn’t  …giggled like little kids over sexy venetian goblets we found in a Paris warehouse … I bought a FABULOUS watch that I love, a great addition to my wrist don’t you think? Well, Luanne doesn’t agree 😉 but what does she know??? ;)…   …went to the Porte des Vanves flea market for the first time and found these fabulous blue enamel house numbers...happened upon the big protest march, which affected the metro, not as many were running this day, so were so full we couldn’t get on…so on we walked…  …headed South on the train to hit some flea markets and brocantes, and we found some beautiful earthenware bowls … hung out in Uzes, our fave medieval city, definitely our comfort zone  and of course, the cowboy boots as always…I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE driving around France…laughed stupidly with Amala…and drank so much coffee….I think at LEAST 5 a day  at sidewalk cafes all over, another fave pastime, except going to the flea markets and eating …sooooooo, I’m not at all ready, but I now have a NOOK COLOR, the better to fix the uploaded pics from my blackberry onto this blog. (and I’ll have a bigger screen for facebook!!!) ….AND my book for the plane is the third book to ‘The Girl…’ series, that I’ve been waiting to come out in paperback, but hasn’t…..so it’s on my new NOOK…’The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest’…..I can’t wait to read it……better get movin, groovin, schmoozin…

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Spring flowers in a little French piece of beauty….found in flea markets across France

Silver urn found in Paris holding a few tulips

Just a few tulips add a bit of color in clear glass bottles found in Barjac...those fab cherub candlesticks we found in Carpentras

My favorite French yellow earthenware with..yes, tulips again....YUM!

Pitcher, from Carpentras sits atop a bistro table we found in Barjac

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first ever….”Best of Gay Philly” Antiques Store…..inaugural issue of GPHILLY

I’m soooooo pumped! Two Cherubs Antiques has been named a winner in the first-ever ‘Best of Gay Philly’ feature in the inaugural issue of GPHILLY–Philadelphia Magazine’s new brand focused on the lives and lifestyles of Philadelphia’s LGBT community….for Antiques Shop. We’re located in Collingswood, NJ, which is just 10 minutes from Center City Philadelphia. Collingswood is on the Gaydar in this issue also….We are listed in this section also…way coooool!…..Thanks GPHILLY…………..I had to take pics of the pics in the mag…sorry for the lack of clarity.

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Springtime in Paris…theme of the Philadelphia Flower Show

  The Fabulous vignettes from Award Winning Florist Michael Bruce at the ‘Springtime in Paris’ flower show in Philadelphia. Michael won ‘Best Achievement’ and no wonder. His SHADOW ART is awesome and crazy. It captures the feeling completely. The shadows show movement ….and the bath girl….Brigitte Bardot yes???

Michael used a few pieces from the shop…a 200 yr old, First Empire (French Napoleon I) zinc tub for ‘the Salon’ scene from Paris, the 7′ birdcage c1920, we found in Montpellier, sweet gilt table with marble top is French ‘Napoleon III’ from a Paris warehouse, and the oil cloth bags are new from a French company just in this month.

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Romantic Homes contest to win linen duvet….

Romantic Homes has a contest where you send in a photo of a room in your house and you have the opportunity to win a yummy linen duvet. So I submitted this photo of our new bedroom, with a view into our new bathroom.

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Three of my favorites from the Paris Flea Market left the shop this month!

We found all three of these great French antiques at Saint Ouen in Paris…the famous flea market. One piece shipped out to California, and the other two went to a home right here in Collingswood. I know they will enjoy them as much as I enjoyed having them in the shop.

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Italian…Yes…Italian Table Linens found at the Paris Maison et Objet

 

We found these yummy linens at the Paris Maison et Objet and couldnt resist. We are but a few shops that carry them. Arte Pura linens are 100% linen and have that time worn feel we love.

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